Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Eccentricities ❯ Eccentricities ( Chapter 1 )

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Yuuta knows by now that his brother Syuusuke is not like other people, and that ‘the norm’ often doesn’t apply to him, so he’d expect that if his brother were to keep a pet, it would be something unusual. A pygmy hedgehog, for instance, or something equally exotic. He wouldn’t put it past Aniki, either, to decide what sort of animal to get based on the reactions he thought it would elicit from others.

“Ah, Yuuta.” Syuusuke is all smiles, holding the door to his apartment ajar. “What a pleasant surprise.”

The thing huddled by Syuusuke’s leg, however, sticking its head through the crack Syuusuke leaves in the doorway and blinking up at him in greeting, is like nothing he’s ever seen. Knowing it’s not polite to stare, he does anyway. At it, which is staring at him.

“Aniki,” he says flatly, gaze still locked with the strange animal. “What… is that.” It’s a statement more than a question. A forked tongue flicks out at him.

Syuusuke looks down by his feet, pauses, then bends down to pick it up, holding the creature between them like he’s about to hand it off to Yuuta. “This…” he announces with pride, “is Pookie.”

Yuuta’s eye twitches. His brother never fails to amaze him with his eccentricities.

“My, I certainly have missed your facial expressions.”

“Shut up.”

Without batting an eye Syuusuke sets the thing on the floor again and nudges the door all the way open. It scuttles off and then stops a few feet away, glancing over its shoulder at them. “Come on in, Yuuta. You should visit more often.”

As they sit down on the L-shaped couch in the main room, Yuuta is vaguely disturbed to see that the thing called Pookie has now joined them, warily eyeing it claw its way up onto the cushion next to him. About the size of a cocker spaniel, Pookie has olive green scales with hints of rusty brown, and looks like a cross of three or more different reptiles.

Syuusuke notices the way Yuuta tries not to squirm. He chuckles lightly. “I think she likes you.”

Yuuta pulls a face, turning horrified eyes to his brother. “This thing is a she?” Pookie flicks her tongue at him again, and he wonders if creatures like Pookie, whatever she is, are even legal to own in a city apartment. Not that it would matter much. This is his brother he’s talking about.

Syuusuke nods, completely ignoring the fact that Yuuta is less than happy about Pookie crawling into his lap. “Do you remember my former teammate Sadaharu Inui, from years ago at Seigaku?” Yuuta huffs incoherently; Syuusuke takes this for a yes. “A couple years ago he graduated from Tokyo University with a graduate degree in biogenetics. He’s currently a scientist working with animal genetics.”

He gestures pointedly at the lizard sitting on his brother’s lap, then reaches across to pet the reptile on the head. Yuuta can’t help but stare at Pookie as it- er, she makes a noise of delight. “Pookie is one of his first successes at creating a miniature komodo dragon through genetic alteration.”

A… what? Yuuta’s eyes go back and forth between the strange ‘pet’ and its owner, suddenly reminded of the model from Murakami’s Coin Locker Babies with the pet alligator. Or was it a crocodile? He doesn’t recall.

Syuusuke leans back, crossing his legs daintily, folded hands upon one knee. “Would you like to feed her?” he asks innocently. The ‘her’ in question perks up at the mention of food, and Yuuta has to resist plopping her onto the floor. “Just be careful she doesn’t bite you by acci-”

Yuuta’s answer is a very firm ‘no’.